Carl Sagan implored us to “preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.” The approach of the 53rd annual Earth Day on April 22 offers us a special opportunity to do just that. Make plans now to join events hosted by our own Climate Action Team as well as community-wide service projects and celebrations.
On Thursday, April 20, UUCA member and filmmaker Susan Perz will present an online screening and discussion of her new short documentary “Saving Jaguars and Ourselves.” The event will begin at 7:30 PM at this Zoom link. Learn more about Susan’s work and watch this short trailer.
If you’ve been eager to see native plants on UUCA’s new campus, come out for a pollinator garden workday on Saturday, April 22, at 9:30 AM. Meet at the playground area and bring your gloves and common gardening tools. If you’re thinking of planting some flowers in your own yard, native Georgia plants that pollinators really love include Eastern Swamp Milkweed, Phlox, Sunflowers, and Eastern Purple Coneflowers.
The 11 AM service on Seventh Principle Sunday, April 23, is our Earth Day worship. We will be joined by Nancy Daves, the board chair for Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, and celebrate the congregation’s commitment to sustainability and environmental justice. Do you remember the UU seventh principle? It’s “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”
In partnership with Interfaith Power and Light and Ens and Outs, the Climate Action Team will host an in-person screening and discussion of “Current Revolution” on Tuesday, April 25, at 7 PM in the sanctuary. “‘Current Revolution,’ a series of short films from the American Resilience Project, explores the transition from fossil fuels to renewables with a focus on national security, economic prosperity, and environmental justice. These films show how the nation can embrace smart policies and investments that support grid modernization through distributed renewable energy generation and ensure that the transition is just and sustainable.” Watch this two-minute trailer.
““You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you,” Jane Goodall said. “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” Brilliant environmentalists have offered valuable guidance to help us navigate the difference we want to make. The Climate Action Team’s members are offering almost 100 books from many of these thought leaders for others to borrow in a lending library. Review this extensive online list of titles, including both classics and titles published within the last two weeks! Once you find a book to read, use Realm to contact its owner and schedule a time to receive the book. When you’re done, reach back out to schedule a return.
There are plenty of other ways to do Earth Day like a champ. Choose from service projects still seeking volunteers through Hands On Atlanta here. Celebrate with free yoga, art vendors, a planting station, and a recycled craft zone at East Atlanta’s Earth Day Fest on Saturday, April 22, from noon – 6 PM. The City of Decatur will throw its own Earth Day Celebration on the Square that same day from 1 – 4 PM.
“We are on Earth to take care of life. We are on Earth to take care of each other,” said Xiye Bastida Patrick, a 20-year old Mexican climate activist and member of the Indigenous Otomi community. Whether it be at our upcoming UUCA events or elsewhere, let’s use this year’s Earth Day to show how much we care for the planet and for each other.
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JOURNEY WITH US: The Climate Action Team extends a radical welcome to activists, contemplatives, readers, meditators, questioners, tree hugging hippies, scientists, policy wonks, radicals, pacifists, nature enthusiasts, and all who seek community as we navigate our changing times together. Learn all about the group here, and check out our lending library and Carbon Offset Fund grant opportunity. Contact Nicole Haines to connect to the CAT and join us on Zoom for our next monthly meting on Monday, April 17 at this Zoom link.